Post Op Risks

With any surgery comes risk, and before I carry on I am the person whose garden furniture was hit by lightening… I have exceptionally bad luck.

I had my drains out on the Monday and then on the Tuesday (13 days post op) became incredibly ill very quickly. I was fine in the morning but around 10am I started to feel a bit ‘woozy’. I felt very nauseous and I started wretching, shortly after I was sick several times. I spent the day in bed but was very aware that something was not right. I would advise that if you do not feel yourself, you must say. You know your own body and this isn’t a common cold that we can all sit and advise upon. Everyone is out of their comfort zone, so if something is not right, go with your gut instinct and get help. I took my temperature as I started to get the shivers, throughout the afternoon it ranged within the 38-degree margin. When I managed to doze off I was woken up by my heart beating too fast so I googled how to take my heart rate (count your pulse for 20 seconds and times it by 3). My heart rate was ranging from 117 to 123. Something was not right.

We contacted my surgeon who advised that I went to the GP to see if I had a urine infection, which can be common. This came back negative and the doctors took my temperature which was steadily rising to the high 38s and my blood pressure was also impressively high. My GP and surgeon liaised via phone and decided I must go to A&E at my nearest hospital. My surgeon rang ahead to make appropriate provision and instruct the doctors on what tests to run. With a temperature of 38.9 by admittance at my local hospital, everyone started to rush around me. They started me on IV antibiotics and paracetamol immediately which started to do the trick. Unfortunately, during the night, the antibiotics gave me an upset stomach, as if I didn’t have enough to contend with!! For the health of other patients, I had to be treated in isolation in case I was contagious. Wednesday morning, I was transferred over to Wycombe hospital and back on to the ward where I had been previously treated. I cannot speak highly enough of all the doctors and nurses on ward 12A, they made me feel welcome and cared for every moment. I was in hospital then until the Saturday evening. It was painfully boring, however it was the best and safest place to be. I was allowed home once I was ‘biochemically getting better’.

The source or reason of the illness is a mystery as my operation site was clear from redness, hot feeling and swelling. I cannot stress enough that this is not common, it happens, of course it does, it is part of life. But do not read this in sheer horror of what the complications may be. The purpose of this site is to inform, prepare and empower…. Not horrify!!

back in hospital...

we had great fun trying to insert a new cannula. it was like pin the tail on the donkey!!! safe to say my needle phobia was well and truly gone after this.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you want to know more about my experience, ask questions, request more detail or images. The purpose of this site is to help, support, empower and ease anxiety where possible. There is no such thing as a silly question. Use the contact me page, message board or email me directly on sarah@mastectexpect.com